The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1887-02-12
Letter from Prnirie Gregg.

Ter is pretty slow taking in the situa-
tion of things and getting hold of
ideas =; but when he does get an idea
fixed and settled ia his head its
there to stay. Uncle John is pretty
shakey on the railroads coming
to Abbeville, and he has no faith in
the grand jury's ever warming the
police up to the exigencies OF the
times. But when you come to cdu.
cation. Johns as 6rm as a feunda.
ton block, and | believe his zeal
world remove mountains of distrust.
Not long since at a gathering on
the Prairie / heard him discourse in
this wise. Said he: "Neighbors,
friends and teIlow.ci1izens of Attak.
apas-Ikave been Illuminating and
bordering on the affairs Of the world
in general. taking a retrospect to
the scenes of the past and looking
forward 10 the ultimate condition Of
things in the future, and 1 have come
to the conclusion that as to duration
we're many years behind the times;
and it we consider the facts as to
mensuration the Lord only knows
how to fix the distance. Hence,
we've been ever since our fore.
fathers came from the bleak shores
Of Caueda reposing upeo our duck.
feathered beds OF ease, famed by
the soft, low breezes Of Mexia's gulf,
while education has languished and
died 10 our midst for want of cult.
walton and attention. Now 1t seems
to me its time We were taking hold
Of the facts and figures Of education
-%stirring the soil around the sie,zly
plant and exposing its roots to the
genial rays Of the sun. Now 1t
strikes me there's a great wave of
progress rolling over this country,
and if you fellows are a mind to lie
idly on your oar and let it strike
you breadside, if you are not strand
cd on the lone shores Of Ignorance,
your timbers will be badly warped
in the rebound. Now you know
none Of you can't be a juryman for
want of education; and if We should
vote aud elect you Justice of Peace.
you couldn't make a proclamation
for a holiday, or issue a mandamus
for habeas corpus, and you would
have to quit your Office Tor lack of
information. Look at the folks il:
all our towns, and they are nice to
look at, but they can't teach schonl,
and they have to send away oE-the
Lord knows wt.ere-and get a school
teacher to teach school, and its the
same all v this beautiful. green
parish of Vermilion. Right here.
you fellows have COWS and land and
ponies, and you don't know B from
a bulls foot. or a doctors bill from
the programme of a circus poster.
And if you we're to start to New
York with a bunch Of cattle 10 sell,
you wouldn't have arithmetic enough
to tell the freight from the storage,
or the leakage fem the per cent of
your profits, and you would be so
tangled up in fire insurance, dray.
age and commission sales, you'd
have a spell Of the consumption be.
fore you LANDED back. Now its no
use for you to talk to ne about how
your forefathers got along without
an education-for things have chang.
ed nightly since their day and tine
and if they drove to town over
the prairies with rawhide traces and
ko|ding-baek straps, that is no reason
you can pull through the bog holes
of the present day with the same ma.
terial. And il you don't quit work.
ing your oxen with their horns to.
gether, because your grandfathers
did, you won't be able to bring a
bundle Of wire from the landing or
pull an empty cart to market.
You all know Uncle Simon Dor.
deaux won't send his boys to school,
because he says it will make 'em
"rascals-" Now / have been look.
ing round considerably, and | am
convinced there are a great many
rascals ia the world, and some Of
'em are pretty we'll educated; but is
my opinion they we're rascaIs long
before they got their education.
Aad If Uncle Simon would educate
his boys it would only give them a
good start ia the profession thew are